This invention relates to a device for breaking tablets, such as tablets containing unit dosages of pharmaceuticals.
Tablets have long been convenient dosage forms for a variety of materials, such as medicaments, vitamins, foods and detergents. Tablets are frequently orally administered to animals and humans. While tablets for animal and human consumption are normally available in unit dosages, it is frequently necessary to reduce the dose, such as by breaking the tablet in half, and consuming only half the tablet. The remainder of the tablet is saved for later use.
Traditionally, tablets have been broken by hand. This can be accomplished by breaking the tablet between the second and third fingers of one hand while the thumb is used as a fulcrum or by using the index fingers of both hands, while the thumbs serve as a fulcrum. These manual methods are not always suitable. For example, persons with decreased strength in the hands or those suffering from diseases, such as arthritis, or those with handicaps, such as amputees, may encounter considerable difficulty in breaking tablets.
Even in those instances in which it is possible for a person to manually break a tablet, it is not always possible to achieve the separation in a uniform or reproducible manner. For example, unless the tablet is scored, it may be difficult to locate the mid-point of the tablet where the fulcrum is to be located, and even when a tablet is scored, it is not always desired to have tablet portions corresponding to the sizes provided by the score line. In the case of pharmaceuticals, it is important that tablets be broken in predictable proportions to ensure administration of the correct dosage to the patient.
There exists a need in the art for a tablet breaking device that can be used by persons having physical disabilities, such as reduced hand strength. There also exists a need in the art for a tablet breaking device that can achieve separation of tablets in a uniform, reproducible and controllable manner. The device should be of simple construction, easy to manufacture and simple to operate to ensure widespread availability to those most in need.